Watch the Most Selfless Dog in the World Shovel Snow

Her name is Elsa and she's the new snow queen

Shoveling snow can be exhausting, so it’s always nice when somebody else will lend a helping hand. Or, in this case, a helping paw. (Get it?)

Meet Elsa. She’s a yellow lab from Guelph, Ontario, who very gamely decided to take some initiative, grab a shovel and help clear snow off her humans’ backyard ice rink. She has such a good attitude that she even wags her tail during the task.

Official ‘State Dog’ Designations Divide Utah and Maine

Dog breed favoritism divides two state legislatures

Lawmakers in Utah and Maine are waging the battle of the dog breeds, trying to get a favored variety recognized as their states’ official man’s best friend.

Supporters in Utah have had uneasy success making the golden retriever the “state domestic animal.” According to the the Salt Lake Tribune, the move came at the suggestion of a fourth-grade class. Those in favor cited the breed’s popularity across the state, as well as the golden retriever’s gentle temperament as a therapy animal.

But there were many on Monday who dissented out of loyalty to the german shepherd or the cocker spaniel, and the measure barely passed. It goes to a final vote later in the week.

Meanwhile, a bill to declare the labrador retriever Maine’s state dog suffered a resounding defeat in committee. State representatives, according to the Associated Press, wanted to avoid playing favorites, while one committee member called the whole affair a “waste of time.” (Notably, Maine already has an official state cat: the Maine coon cat.)

If Utah’s representatives vote to make the golden retriever as the official state pet, they’ll join five others that have singled out a dog or a cat. The Alaskan Malamute is, predictably, that state’s dog. Wisconsin has the American water spaniel, Louisiana has the Catahoula leopard dog and Maryland has bestowed the honor on the Chesapeake Bay retriever. Maryland is also the only state other than Maine with an official cat—the calico.

Watch Baby Otters Eat Scrambled Eggs

These little ones are otterly adorable

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida recently shared a video of two baby otters messily eating breakfast — a mixture of scrambled egg, small fish pieces and a milk replacement formula.

The siblings were rescued by Von Arx Wildlife Hospital director Joanna Fitzgerald, who responded to a call about two pups found unresponsive near a body of water on the side of a road in Naples, Fla.

As the organization wrote on Facebook, “We are very happy to report that they doing MUCH better! They are both eating well, they’re both very active and the team at the wildlife hospital is hopeful for a full recovery!”

19 Manatees Rescued After Getting Stuck in a Drain Pipe

They may have been in search of warmer water

Nineteen manatees had to be rescued Monday night because they got stuck in a drain pipe in Satellite Beach, Fla., the Associated Press reports.

A rescue team of police and firefighters worked with experts from Sea World and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to free the the marine mammals, who were all returned to the Indian River Lagoon System, Captain Jay Dragon of the Satellite Beach Fire Department said early Tuesday morning.

This Puppy’s Devotion to a Broom Will Sweep You Off Your Feet

Watching him squeeze the cleaning tool through the dog door will make you feel even worse about slacking off on chores

+ READ ARTICLE

If Monday is getting the best of you, and you find yourself out-of-sorts and struggling to make it through your inbox, then let this 10-week old Dutch Shepherd puppy help you get through the day.

In this video YouTube video, a little dog named Tex struggles to solve a big problem. The adorable fluffball must have watched a few too many Disney films, because this puppy really wants to help clean house. (What’s next, tying a ribbon in his owner’s hair?)

To get in on the housecleaning action, he grabs the broom and heads inside until troubled strikes: The pup quickly realizes that the broom will not fit through the doggy door. Luckily, Tex is a clever little dog whose helpfulness is only matched by his resourcefulness.

After solving that problem, the only question left is whether Tex’s housecleaning services are for hire.

This Adorably Frustrated Puppy Has No Idea How to Pick Up a Frisbee

But it's so entertaining to watch him try

Puppies are cute, but frustrated, flailing puppies are even cuter. Like this clumsy Great Dane puppy who’s trying desperately to pick up a frisbee but cannot for the life of of him figure out how to make that happen.

He tries jumping on it, pouncing on it, kicking it, scratching it, sliding it across the floor, and chewing it, but none of these strategies pan out. After 40 seconds of focused efforts, he seems to give up and walk away.

We hope his humans helped him out—but only after watching him struggle a bit longer.

Sauerkraut could be trouble

Like the almighty GC, Sauerkraut looks grumpy by nature, but is actually a big softie on the inside. The cross-looking cat currently resides at her forever home in Oklahoma, according to her website.

Sauerkraut was originally taken in by her pet parents as a foster kitten from theCentral Oklahoma Humane Society. When she was old enough to be adopted, her foster family decided to keep her.

Now the feline spends her days posing for photos and stealing snuggles from her friends and family. All the meowdeling must be working, because Sauerkraut currently has more than 31,000 followers on Instagram.

Unlike many other kitties, Sauerkraut also enjoys wearing a varied wardrobe. All these clothes help the celeb pet deal with her feline hyperesthesia, a condition that involves an abnormal increase in the sensitivity to different stimuli.

Revel in Sauerkraut’s grumpy glare, fabulous clothes and sweet demeanor by checking out the photos below.

Watch an Adorable Pug Puppy Reenact This Year’s Oscar Nominees

All the Best Picture noms become so much cuter and less depressing

Still haven’t seen all the Best Picture nominees in time for the Academy Awards this Sunday? No problem! Just watch this video, created by The Pet Collective, which reenacts all eight films in just three minutes using a painfully cute baby pug.

All the movies get new, dog-appropriate titles, like American Sniffer, Selmutt and Puphood. The pug totally nails all the roles — even if some, like Stephen Hawking, are maybe a tad insensitive. Mostly, though, it’s just really, really cute.

These Red Pandas Frolicking in the Snow Will Remind You Everything Is Going to Be OK

Best snow day ever

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden knows how to warm your heart on even the coldest day.

The zoo posted a video of its two resident red pandas frolicking in the snow and their glee is almost enough to remind snowbound residents to go outside and play instead of watching The Shining again.

The video was taken by zookeeper Lissa Browning and shows Lin, a 2-year-old female, and Rover, a 9-year-old male, cavorting in their snow-covered pen. Red pandas are used to cold weather as they are natives of the Himalayas and it’s clear they love romping in the snow.

As people continue to dig out from the winter storms that have buried much of the Midwest and East Coast of the United States in snow, this video serves as a good reminder that winter can actually be fun.